Dawn Boston to Bermuda, my thoughts

[thundermustard]

We just returned from a week on the Dawn out of Boston for Bermuda.

Thought I would share some thoughts on the both.

As usual I highly recommend these for getting your spirits onboard. We have never

had a problem with them and they will save you a lot of money.

 

http://amzn.to/1jFTl4f

 

Parking is available for $16 a day right across the the street at 1 Black Falcon Avenue

South Boston, MA 02210. Just a short walk to the ship from there.

Boston is a pretty small port. Getting onboard this time did not go off as smoothly as we are used to though.

There was a delay getting the previous guest off so it was very crowded around the terminal. You usually don’t mingle with the previous voyages passengers.

Using a porter to unload our bags we were through security and had our room keys in no time, but then it came to a grinding halt. Every chair in the terminal was occupied as no one was being let on the ship.

We heard later that other guest were kept out in the late Spring cold waiting as there was no room inside for them. Those guest got on so late that they missed their lunch. We have learned this from Norwegian, they don’t make amends for when things so awry. We missed an entire stop in The Bahamas on a voyage on the Epic and they do nothing to make it up to you. Would it kill them to offer drinks at only a normal markup for a few hours? There were no apologizes, they didn’t extend the lunch time for those that got on hours late.

No one got on the ship until about 1:30.

The Dawn is a nice ship, not too big, not too small. There were a few things about it we loved, the deck on level 7 was wide and expansive. As was our experience on the Epic the casino on the Dawn is way too smokey. So much so that we planned our routes to avoid it. My wife and I both make yearly treks to Vegas to gamble but didn’t play so much as one hand on the Dawn. When these cruise lines will finally realize they are losing customers by allowing smoking in the casinos is anybody’s guess. You can’t smoke in bars but those do a brisk business.

One nice touch was on departure they printed up a weekly summary of the trip. It showed what the show was in the main theatre each night which allowed for some preplanning.

Speaking of that, the best show was the magic show. Really entertaining and he did some mind blowing tricks. You usually prepare for the worst when you go to a show on a ship and we were surprised at how good it was. The magician made an appearance in Elements a few nights later. That wasn’t as good as he did the usually disappearance tricks and none of the up close things he did in his own show. The rest of Elements was Cirque inspired. Kind of like they went to a Cirque show and then hired a bunch of dancers that couldn’t do any of the tricks. Lots of fluff with no substance with the exception of one pair that did some pretty impressive elevated work on straps.

Food was pretty good and generally served at an acceptable temperature. Lines weren’t ever too long.

Sushi bar was nice (surcharge) and I love that NCL has a place with free pub grub. In this case it was Blue Lagoon. Chicken wings, Fish and Chips, etc.

The one complaint was room service, we used it twice. The first time was for a pizza and dessert. They said it would be 45 minutes to an hour. It was closer to an hour and they delivered the wrong pizza, they remedied that quickly but an hour is too long. We attributed it to the fact that the Bruins game was on and it was probably something lots of others were doing. Then on the last night we just ordered desert. The wait was again 45 minutes for something requiring no cooking. Way too long.

Speaking of the game, the TV’s onboard have bad pictures. They are not giving you a high definition feed by any means. Watching the hockey game reminded me of what it was like watching hockey 15 years ago.

Bermuda was great. It is stunning, the weather was perfect, the water gorgeous and the whole island is clean and picturesque.

Lots of people ask which side of the ship should we get on. This was our experience, I have no idea if it will be the same for you. We turned around prior to docking so that the port side was facing the dock. This gave the starboard side a view of the island. The dock is very nice, not industrial at all. I would prefer the dock side (port for us) as you got sunset as well along with a nice view of the fort.

The Royal Caribbean ship came in a few hours after us and was reversed, they did not turn around prior to docking.

We pulled in on a Sunday at 11 AM. Weren’t able to disembark till closer to 11:30 though.

Here is a map of Bermuda.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fh14hj9mffzztc7/Bermuda%20Map.pdf

 

Bermuda pegs their currency to the dollar so there is no conversion necessary. Everywhere we went took US dollars although you might get Bermudian change.

We bought the three day ferry/bus pass for $35 a person (cash only at the wharf).

You can buy the passes onboard the Dawn, this is a must as it will save you valuable time once you arrive. They sold out quickly though.

There are a couple of spots where you can buy them near the ship if you don't get them onboard, go out by the ferry terminal to buy them, smaller crowd. We would probably have saved paying for our tickets the first day and buying a two day pass. The price for 1/2/3 days is $15/25/35.

You can find the Summer 2014 ferry schedule here;

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i75jgmap9g6jcur/Ferry%20Schedule%202014.pdf

 

And the bus schedule here:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsgc6uceoze4ask/Bus%20Schedule.pdf

 

So here is what we learned that can help you. There is no ferry to St. George on Sunday, and on Tuesday it is a reduced schedule. So if you are there Sun-Tues going to St. George on Monday is the best bet.

Let me touch on the buses and ferries again. They are very easy to use but the schedule is not great.

For example, the Route 7 bus from Hamilton to the ship. Monday to Friday it runs till 5:30 PM. Then at 6 and 6:30, but both those end at Somerset, the first bus that goes to the ship after that is at 7:15. That is a gap of one hour and forty five minutes. You really have to preplan your day. Same with the ferries.

Second lesson, not much is open on Sunday. Hamilton is a ghost town. Amazing that with 4000 tourist in town ready to spend money shops don’t open up. With this in mind I recommend you either spend the day on the wharf (the museum and shops there are open) or make it a beach day.

Monday go to St. George’s for the day, it is beautiful and there is lots to do.

We took the ferry over then the bus to Hamilton and the ferry to the ship. That way we literally saw the whole island.

I used this waking tour of St. George:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kpoh920xd9ambcg/Walking%20tour%20of%20St%20Georges.rtf

 

It took a little under two hours.

Hamilton is very nice and you could spend Tuesday there. It has lots of public toilets and even better a few hydration stations around town where you could fill up your water bottles. Yes the water is safe.

We dove in Bermuda, I would not recommend it. First, it is cold, 72 degrees. Even with a thick wet suit my wife had to end the second dive early. There are lots of wrecks to see but not much sea life. Visibility is great.

It is so cold you don’t get the abundant sea life you get in the Caribbean. If you never get to dive and this is a rare opportunity then go for it, otherwise pass on it.

Disembarking was breeze. Customs consisted of handing your customs form to an officer at the end of the gangway then going and getting your luggage. No questions, no looking at your passport.

They did luggage tags a little different on this ship. You went down to the Atrium to get your preferred time zone rather than being handed them by your steward. The first time zone "sand" did not go as quickly as I imagined.

We were in the first non-priority zone and were in our car by 10.

We would definitely do this cruise again next year. The feeling of freedom of being in the same place for almost three days was great. There was plenty to see and do both onboard and in Bermuda.

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thank you for posting all the information! Jan

[Rileyz]

I was on this sailing. The delay was caused by the following:

 

1. A disembarking passenger having a heart attack, there were ambulances, police and fire on scene.

2. Issues with the gangway, which belongs to the Port of Boston.

3. 6 passengers hiding on the ship. Yes, hiding.

 

How NCL could control any of this is beyond me.

[piper1]

This summary was very helpful, thank you. I would like to be efficient with my time and definitely learned a few things from your review. Did you do anything near the dockyards in the evenings?

 

Tricia

[phoenix1181]

I was on this sailing. The delay was caused by the following:

 

1. A disembarking passenger having a heart attack, there were ambulances, police and fire on scene.

 

We weren't aware of a medical emergency taking place. What time did this occur?

 

2. Issues with the gangway, which belongs to the Port of Boston.

 

3. 6 passengers hiding on the ship. Yes, hiding.

 

Is that why only US citizens were [finally] allowed to disembark? We got off around 10:00 - 10:30 but had no clue why there was such a delay.

 

How NCL could control any of this is beyond me.

 

I'm always amazed when there are things like this happening & I seem to miss it!

[thundermustard]

This summary was very helpful, thank you. I would like to be efficient with my time and definitely learned a few things from your review. Did you do anything near the dockyards in the evenings?

 

Tricia

 

No but that is because we were pretty worn out and ready for a shower and to relax on our balcony. There were open air restaurants and a this link

 

http://www.the-big-chill.com/big_calypso.html

 

is for a place with calypso music on Sunday evening.

 

It is at the Frog and Onion Pub

 

http://www.frogandonion.bm/

[maun]

Where on the ship can you buy the bus/ferry passes? How early in the week are they available?

 

~~Maun

[FuninWB]

We were also on the cruise, and what RileyZ told you is absolutely true. The captain told us at the Latitudes party what had occurred at embarkation. We saw ambulances at the port about 10:30, and later other passengers saw the people who had attempted to hide on the ship being taken off in handcuffs. We were eating at the Venetian by 12:15, but many other passengers were waiting long after that. These things were out of NCL's control.

[Vicki'sMom]

Great review and great information! Thank you so much! :D

 

 

Wow though - I can't believe people would try to "hide" on the ship -- well, actually, I guess I can! Crazy world we live in! :rolleyes:

 

I'm glad to hear the 6 were escorted in handcuffs! ;)

[pooksma]

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

[thundermustard]

Seems my links don't work, sorry, here are updated ones.

 

Bus Schedule

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...20Schedule.pdf

Ferry Schedule

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...ule%202014.pdf

Map of Bermuda

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...muda%20Map.pdf

Walking tour of St. George

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...%20Georges.rtf

[sebas030]

Where on the ship can you buy the bus/ferry passes? How early in the week are they available?

 

 

 

~~Maun

 

 

They are not available on ship. You must buy them at the booth at the dockyard.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[thundermustard]

The excursion flyer said they were available at the Excursion desk. When I went there they said they were out.

Maybe they didn't have any because it was the first cruise of the season. They might have stocked up on the first arrival to Bermuda.

If they have them they will sell them right away.

I would check.

[NH Cruisers]

Great review and great information! Thank you so much! :D

 

 

 

 

I'm glad to hear the 6 were escorted in handcuffs! ;)

I wonder were those six wannabe stowaways thought they were gonna sleep for a week. Maybe they just wanted to stay on the ship till they WERE booted off.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Where on the ship were they found?